Monday, 3 July 2017

Show some guts legalise Marijuana

When will we legalise cannabis
/ Marijuana and make life more comfortable for thousands, Guest blogger Gordon
McShean an author and past editor of the Manawatu Guardian now living at Himatangi
Beach near Palmerston North writes of his experience with a ‘smoke’ in his
younger days in the US. He then gives his take on present day medical care here
in NZ.

Guest Blogger Gordon
McShean, [right] with his friend Larry Haist at a Palmerston North protest back
in 2015.

“In 1966 I was one of the first cardiac patients from America
to be taken on by the innovative New Zealand heart surgeon, Mr Brian
Barratt-Boyes (who would later become Sir Barratt-Boyes). In California, at
Stanford University, where I held a position;

I'd been give 3 months to live; they had proposed a pig
valve transplant as a remedy. But my insurance company paid the plane fare, and
the operation took place with some major international publicity.

That innovative homograft transplant procedure saved my life
and I wrote the book OPERATION NEW ZEALAND (published in the US later as BUM TICKER).
However, I did suffer some problems.

It was nearly 3 months before I could fly back home to my
wife in California.

During the recovery period some junior doctors at the hospital were concerned that I
continued to feel unwell and feel pain;

I'll never forget
that they held a party for me - and they surreptitiously gave me a
"puff"
of their "smokes," saying that would "ease things" for me..
It did! It is sad then that NZ doctor's opinions have been ignored in the 50 years
since! I came to live in NZ 14 years later (I live in retirement in wonderful

Himatangi Beach near Palmerston North.

Himatangi Beach).

New Zealanders have since saved my life 4 more times - but
during this time I've never had access to that wonderful pain killer! (I do
hear that friends in the US are gaining access to it!).

I wonder what it will take for New Zealand to overcome the
conservative prejudices that keep them from easing patients' pains?

It surely
isn't simply a concern that some Kiwis might enjoy the opportunity to have a
good time?!

Despite the supposed comfort of their NZ Gold Card and of
assistance obtainable through Accident Compensation, every senior I know is protesting
the effect creeping charges the government is making upon their decisions to
seek medical assistance.

Additional oppressive influences that can be observed
include the unreasonable waiting times that are often imposed before persons
who are suffering and who are unable to see a consultant or obtain necessary
clinical evaluations.

We had never envisaged our country could become so uncaring!
We see huge amounts of money being used to increase medical executives' salaries
and specialists' fees, and reports being made about their acceptance into the
glorious professional brotherhoods (usually in the USA).

The terrible thing about recognizing that this is happening
is not so much the misappropriation of essential moneys - it is the increasing
likelihood of Kiwis of all walks of life and origins suffering needlessly and
dying prematurely. We need Parliament to look into these matters in a credible manner. No NZ political party shows any
evidence of dealing with this crisis in an way other than occasional
noise-making with the intention of getting votes. What do we have to do? How
many of us have to die?